1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to a hinge apparatus in which a pair of hinge axes allow opening/closing of a folder-type terminal and a housing which is rotated to be positioned in parallel with a side of the other housing and a portable terminal having the hinge apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a “portable terminal” refers to an electronic apparatus which provides electrical communication between users and service providers. Various applications such as voice communication, a short message service, a mobile banking service, TV watching, an on-line game service, and an on-demand video service are provided to users using portable terminals.
Conventional portable terminals may be classified in various types according to their appearance. For example, portable communication terminals are classified into bar-type terminals, flip-type terminals, and folder-type terminals according to their appearance. In the bar-type terminal, input/output devices such as a communication circuit, a transmitting unit, and a receiving unit are mounted in a single housing. In the flip-type terminal, a flip cover is mounted in the bar-type terminal. In the folder-type terminal, a pair of housings are opened and closed through rotation and input/output devices are properly arranged over the pair of housings. Recently, a sliding-type terminal has been developed to improve portability and convenience in use and satisfy various user preferences together with the folder-type terminal.
Mobile communication services using portable terminals have been diversified, such as music videos, games, video on demand (VOD), and digital mobile broadcasting. However, since a display device of a portable terminal is often manufactured to have a greater length than width, a screen provided by a multimedia service cannot be implemented suitable for the aspect ratio of the display device. Moreover, even when a screen suitable for the aspect ratio of the display device is displayed on the display device, if a portable terminal is rotated, the display device is positioned horizontally. As a result, the user often cannot comfortably watch the screen. In addition, even if the portable terminal is configured such that only the display device can rotate, the user may feel inconvenience in manipulating the portable terminal.
Accordingly, there is a need for a hinge apparatus in which a screen provided by a multimedia service such as video on demand (VOD) and digital mobile broadcasting is implemented suitable for the aspect ratio of a display device.